Chapter 30 Physical Geography

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Transcript Chapter 30 Physical Geography

Geography/Physical Features

Southeast Asia, Oceania, Antarctica

Landforms and Resources

 Includes two Peninsulas  and Malay Peninsula.

Indochinese  Includes more than 20,000 islands most of which are in archipelagos.

 The mainland has several mountain ranges

 Indochinese Peninsula  Malay Peninsula

 Mountains on the islands are of volcanic origin.

 Creates fertile soil for farming.

 Part of the Pacific Ring of Fire  Pacific Ocean’s ring of volcanoes and earthquakes.

 Mainland  important.

Mekong River Valley

Pacific Ring of Fire

Mekong River

 Oceania is the region of Pacific Islands.

 Two types of islands include:  High islands  created by volcanoes  Low islands  made from coral reef.

 New Zealand is mountainous with rivers, fertile farmland, and forest.

 Australia is flat and rich in minerals.

 Great Barrier Reef is one of the largest coral reefs in the world off of Australia.

 Antarctica is centered around the South Pole and has a varied landscape including possible resources.

New Zealand

Australia

The Great Barrier Reef

Antarctica

Climate and Vegetation

 Tropical wet climate in the coastal parts of SE Asia.

 Temperatures are high.

 Elevation affects temperature.

 SE Asia has the greatest diversities of vegetation of any region.

 1/3 of Australia is desert that the locals call The Outback.

 Antarctica is considered a polar desert due to the lack of moisture it receives.

Human-Environment Interaction

 Pacific Islanders developed technology to travel the Pacific.

 Handmade charts, the voyaging canoe and the outrigger canoe were used.

 European colonizers brought rabbits to Australia that grazed crops.

Voyaging Canoe

Outrigger canoe

 Bikini Atoll was the site of U.S. atomic weapons tests.

 1951-1958 U.S. held over 60 explosions that vaporized several islands and contaminated the entire area with radiation.

 Islanders became sick or died.

 Bikini islanders remained exiled from their homeland.

 No one knows when Bikini Atoll will be suitable for human life.